Thorns for bad Pa. governance; roses for civilian service

Friday, July 12, 2013

THORNS to the continuing rise in Pennsylvania higher-education costs, making a college education more difficult to attain for students in low- and middle-income families. Pennsylvania’s 14 state universities announced last week a 3 percent tuition increase for 2013-14 was approved by the universities’ state governing board. The increase, well above the rate of inflation, broadens the gap even further between the cost of in-state tuition in other states and Pennsylvania, where the cost of attending the state’s top university, Penn State, is the highest of any public university in the nation. The costs of attending state colleges and other universities like West Chester and Kutztown are so high that the average tuition cost in Pennsylvania is more than the highest of any other state.

ROSES to Pottstown Borough Councilman Mark Gibson for identifying and helping to apprehend a suspect in a recent homicide in the borough. Gibson’s actions earned him a Civilian Service Award from Pottstown Police. Chief F. Richard Drumheller said Gibson’s actions made possible the arrest of Michael Hinton for the shooting of Victor Enrique Bonilla Baez. Hinton and Maurice Andrews Jr. have been charged with murder in the shooting. Gibson, a constable who is also a firefighter, said he was finishing a shift at the Empire Hook and Ladder Fire Company March 22 when he learned of the shooting. He took a drive around his ward, the First, like he normally does, and happened upon a limping man on the street. Gibson stopped the man on the 500 block of Lesher Alley. That man turned out to be Hinton, who was later charged for murder. “It was a great thing but it’s just, for me, as a Pottstonian, a citizen of Pottstown, something I feel I should do to help the community,” Gibson said. “If somebody sees something, report it. I’m honored to receive this ... but it’s something anyone should do.”

THORNS to the Medicare system for failing to police prescription fraud, leading to abuse of the system and increasing drug abuse. According to a report from the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, as reported by PA Independent, Medicare Part D inappropriately covered $26 million worth of prescription drugs in 10 states in 2009. In Pennsylvania, the study found more than 17,600 prescriptions made by unauthorized prescribers, resulted in more than $1.3 million in Medicare payments. “The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has characterized prescription drug abuse as an epidemic,” reads the report’s introduction. Medicare fraud contributes to that epidemic. The Medicare system needs controls in place to better police this problem. Not only is it inflating costs, it’s putting dangerous pills in the hands of potential abusers.

THORNS to the Pennsylvania Legislature which left town last week without finishing necessary business tied to the passage of the state budget. Lawmakers neglected to pass the Fiscal Code legislation that authorizes spending of the $28 billion they just approved. In a statement released last week, the Corbett administration said lawmakers’ failure to act on the bill could impact available funding by as much as $235 million, according to reports at pennlive.com. Corbett called on lawmakers “to resolve their differences and act responsibly to send the Fiscal Code to my desk for approval as soon as possible.” The Legislature announced Wednesday a plan to reconvene next Monday and finish their jobs. The failure to finish their work before the start of a three-month vacation is pathetic. Will lawmakers collect more travel reimbursements and per diems for the return to do their jobs?